Study and learn about God's plan!!

So this last week was good, super long, but it was good. We haven't been able to work a normal week for a long time and its bugging me but I know that it happens and I can tell it is also bugging my companion and he really wants to work.

We had the 18 de Septiembre this last week and it's like the 4th of July for us. It's huge and some people get crazy. We had a zone conference with the whole mission and that was fun. One of the area presidents talked. His talk made me think that we need to continue to work hard every day but we should never be unhappy or have a bad attitude. I have found that it happens a lot when we forget this and we don't work as strong when we are unhappy. It is important that we always maintain the happy positive attitude with everything. There is no better way then learning more about the gospel and the plan that God has for us. If we understand God's plan then we should be happy because there is so much opportunity for us. We all need to learn about it and study it.

I love you all. God loves you all! So be happy no matter what!!

Elder Smith

Chao!!



P.S.  Thanks so much for your email mom!! I especially love that last part. I am weird and I know it. Or in spanish " no me importa lo piensen otras personas". The earthquakes have been cool... we didn't feel the big one because we were in the street walking but we have been feeling lots.. today we went to a mall and when we were eating lunch on the 2nd story everything started shaking.. It was like a rollercoaster ride.. I loved it!! ha  but I'm okay nothing happened where I am but yes in the north and close to the beach there is a alot of damage. We continue to have small after shocks all the time.

 

Act as Christ would...

Last week was good we were able to work a good amount. On Saturday we did a service project all day and it was fun but it really killed us and we were dead the rest for the night.

Something to caught my attention on Sunday was that they talked about forgiving others. That we need to be willing to forgive others and that sometimes we wait to forgive someone until the other person makes the first move... Is that what Christ would do?? Heck no! We all forget that to forgive someone and tell someone sorry doesn't hurt us it actually makes us stronger especially on the side that we are trying to progress. Like it says in Moses, God wants to bring to pass the inmortality and eternal like of man... but how will that work if we don't follow the steps that he gave us... he gave us Jesus the best example that literally showed us what we need to do. If we don't forgive and forget or say sorry for that matter we aren't progressing and we aren't following Jesus Christ. So, I invite us all to think about this and when others hurt us or when we hurt other we can act as Christ would.

I love you all!!

Elder Smith

Soooo this week... "FOME" o "CHANTA (September 7, 2015)

So this week started out with an interchange with our zone leaders on Tuesday and I think that threw us off. Then on Wednesday, we had our district class and so we worked the second half of the day. On Thursday morning we got a call saying that we needed to be out of the house and have it cleaned really good before Monday. Luckily, we decided to do it in the morning on Thursday. This started our week of weirdness. We worked but not has much as normal and well it kind of messed with us. So then we worked more on cleaning the house after we got everything out and then on Saturday we spent almost the whole day cleaning the house. On top of that we didn't have lunch and we found out right before and so we bought some bread and made sandwiches... then we started our fast.... Soooo part of what happened is we weren't thinking good because we literally didn't eat good and we started a fast and well we ended it later on in the day and it really was lame to end it early.

This last week we had planned out to have a good week but then it went down hill because the family wanted their house back. All in all it was a very weird week and it made us feel super weird and not like we had the spirit of the mission with us.

We have lots of plans this week to make things a lot better.

On the happy more positive side we had the opportunity to go on splits with the missionaries from the MTC  in Chile for 3 hrs. and that was fun and we were able to put someone with a date for baptism and my companion had some good lessons with some of our investigators so we had lots of good things happen but it was a very strange week.

I love you all!! Keep going and never give up!

#wefalltopickourselvesup

Love you all!

With all that God has done for you what can you change to show that you really love Him!

Well this week was super good! We have been having a lot of success and been finding some new people. We started working with the sister of one of our converts and she is ready to find the gospel but her husband is very stubborn and doesn't let her go to church or anything... or he wears the pants. It's super sad to see that because she really has the desire to come to church and she told us that she could come but the thing is that she would have to lie to him to be able to get out of her house... Well, I told her that she shouldn't do that and that this is a time to learn and really trust in God because really this is something God wants.

We have a family of four boys that want to get baptized and really we are trying to teach them but it's a bit hard to find them in the house. The oldest came to stake conference and that was awesome for us because he is starting to come to mutual and become friends with everyone. He is very bright and reads everything that we leave him. I am stoked to see what happens, but he wont be able to be baptized until the midle of October and well I fear I won't be here then but its chill! 

We had stake conference and I really loved how they focused on the Sabbath day because a lot of people have problems with that.... even members. I liked something that I think Elder Nelson said in the last general conference. I don't really know how it goes but the way I felt is... how can I not sanctify one day to God even after all he has done for me... I  really don't even know who  I am anymore when I think back to when I first got here. I have been able to be forgiven for so much and he still forgives me. Soooooo with all that God has done for you what can you change to show that you really love him? 

I love you all!

Con mucho Amor,

Elder Smith

 

We took Mate from a pineapple and it was GOOOOOD!

 

Only true happiness!

Well ,this last week was super good. It was a little long but it was very good. Soooo, I told you about how we went to the temple for a tour with our converts and their daughter last week. We went to their house on Monday night last week and talked about faith and actions. We talked about  how that is how we receive our answers. We shared a good spiritual message with them and then my companion invited her to prepare and be baptized this week. She accepted and said that she had received an answer when we went to the temple. This made me so happy because she is such a bright girl! This family is awesome! We also have started working with the sister of the mom and we are so excited for this because they are going to be able to participate with us when we share and I think that it will all so good.

I have noticed a lot recently that when I am tired or down about something that God usually has sent something my way to cheer me up and I thnk that this happens very often but only now am I realizing what is happening.

I have been thinking a lot of Christ and his atoning sacrifice recently and really I have felt like I needed  to strengthen my study in that so that's what I have started to do... I have found that I have felt more of the spirit and that I feel that when I testify about Him and His gospel to the people that it comes out more fluidly and I can feel the spirit.

I know that God lives and loves us and because of this, he sent his son so that we weren't eternally lost and so we could make our way back to him. I love this gospel and I know that the only true happiness comes from when we try to completely follow Jesus Christ.

Con mucho Amor,
Elder Smith

Crazy Elder Smith

Temple tour!

 

 

They could feel the spirit of the temple!

So this last week was great. We worked hard and have been finding more and more people... some don't end up accepting us but hey its all good. Maybe they will with the next missionaries. We have been working on the retention of our converts.

We took the family Zenteno to the temple and it was amazing! I love it because they went on a tour and they let them go into the foyer of the temple and it was so amazing! They could feel the sprit in the temple. At the end they talked about Jesus Christ and then asked them to share how they felt about Him and what they felt on the tour. It was amazing to feel the spirit come over us and to really testify what we believe. I was a bit teary.  I wasn't expecting the dad to be so emotional but he had some strong feelings that he shared with such emotion. We also had their daughter there that isn't a member. She is working on getting baptized and I pray that her dad will be able to do it.

Me and my companion are learning a lot! We continue to become better and well my English is getting better.

I love you all! 

Con amor Elder Smith

Get with it and start following!

Another good week! We had zone conference and so we didn't work too much on Tuesday but that night when we finally got out to work we went to visit a lady that we met in the street. She wasn't there and so we left. We went to the next street and I felt prompted to knock on a house, so I did and a man came out. We did the contact and then he let us in. It was cool because he opened right up. We talked to him and he told us about his life and it was obvious that he needed the gospel. So we challenged him to be baptized and gave him a date to prepare and be baptized. He accepted and then we visited him two more times that week,  The last visit, on Saturday, we verified if he was gong to come to church and he said that if God sent us, then it must be a good thing for him to go to church. We went and walked with him to church. By the way his name is Manuel. So that was something super cool!!!

We have been really trying to work hard and just when you know it on Thursday we got a call and they told us that all the mission was to stay inside and not go out and work.. because it was raining really hard... note I have never heard of this so it made me giggle because I was ready to get wet that day!!

We also have been working with the daughter of the couple that just got baptized... she wants to get baptized but her mom wants her to make sure she is ready for a commitment this big. I had the chance to talk/preinterview her and it was very interesting because she is very timid. She told me about the testimony she has for prayer. It was amazing to see a little 14 year old talk about prayer the way she did. She also came to church with her parents, and really that family is just growing so strong. I love them so very much and it is weird how that works only knowing them for a couple of months.

We have a change in the mission we can now go to the temple once a change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for this for the longest time!! The temple has become so special to me and really it helps me so much!
 

I know that this is the work of God and I know that he wants us all to be engaged in it to help bring our brothers and sisters to eternal life. I know that as we strive to do what He wants and to follow Christ we will have these desires to do these things. I love God and our brother Jesus and I know that when we follow them that is when we have real happiness. So if your not happy. Get with it and start following. 

I love you all!

 

Elder Smith